New Release - Charlotte's Resurrection by Linda Swift - @prairierosepubs #suspense #firestarpress

Newspaper reporter Charlotte Timberlake plans to write a book comparing past and present treatment for mental illness. She persuades a doctor to admit her to a state hospital as a patient.

When unforeseen events make it impossible for her to leave, she finds herself unable to convince anyone – those in charge, her children, or ex-husband – she doesn't belong there.

Charlotte soon realizes it is up to her to find a means of escaping the nightmare of her self-condemned prison.

EXCERPT

     When Charlotte awoke, her room was dark except for the faint light from the lobby desk. Her throat felt parched and sore. She was thirsty. She sat up slowly, feeling groggy and stiff. She walked to the screen door and turned the handle but it didn't move. She tried again. Then she realized she was locked in. She shook the door. "Miss Hill," she called softly, so as not to wake the others. "Miss Hill."

     Josephine Hill stood up from the desk. "What you want, Timberlake?"

     "I want out. I want to get a drink of water."

     "I'll bring you one." She shuffled toward the water fountain, snapped a paper cup from the holder.

     "I want to use the bathroom, too," Charlotte said, thinking quickly. She had to get out of this room.

     "Okay, okay. One thing at a time. Here's your water."

     Charlotte took the tiny cup and drained it.

     "Okay, let's go to the john now." Josephine took her arm.

Charlotte jerked away. "I'll go by myself, thanks."

     "No, you won't, Timberlake. I got orders to keep close by you." Josephine reached for her arm again, and together they made their way in semi-darkness past the various sounds of sleeping patients.

     "What time is it?" Charlotte asked as she sat down on the commode.

     "You going somewhere?" Josephine chuckled at her joke, then added, "Nearly two-thirty."

Sixteen hours. They had really knocked her out.

New Release -- BLUE SPRINGS by John D. Nesbitt

Wilf Kasmire is surprised to hear from his ex-girlfriend, Dawn Jenkins—and even more puzzled when she asks if she can stay with him “for a while.” The note of worry in her tone has Wilf agreeing—against his better judgment, but also wondering if she’s in trouble. Her stay with Wilf is cut short when she disappears without a note—and Wilf realizes he was right to be concerned.

When another young woman’s body is found nearby their small Wyoming town, Wilf knows he’s got to assure himself of Dawn’s safety. But as time goes by, the clues he finds tell him otherwise. Now, someone’s after Wilf, too, and he’s determined to discover if the would-be murderer is the same man who has abducted Dawn.

With little help from the local authorities, Wilf must stand alone against the man he believes is involved in a drug ring—a criminal who is likely responsible for at least two killings. A man who intends to murder Wilf, as well. But the need to know what happened to Dawn burns hot, and Wilf Kasmire is not one to admit defeat. Can he survive long enough to piece together the evidence he needs to bring the murderer down first? Nothing is certain in BLUE SPRINGS…

“Nesbitt is a true artist” — Western American Literature

EXCERPT

     Wilf pulled in parallel to the curb in front of the sheriff’s office. In the parking lot next to the building, two patrol cars and a white Jeep Cherokee, all with foot-high yellow-and-black lettering, sat with their noses lined up even. Past the vehicles, a man in uniform stood smoking a cigarette. Beyond him, the sidewalk led past the two-story part of the building that held the jail. Wilf remembered seeing prisoners in orange outfits walk that way toward the courthouse, and he was glad not to see them now.
     He got out of his pickup, waved to the cop, and went in the front door of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. Inside, he waited at a glass reception window until a hefty woman pushed herself away from a desk and came to the counter.
     “How can I help you?”
     “I’d like to report a missing person.”